Electrical meters are an important tool used by electricians, maintenance technicians and homeowners on a daily basis. Electrical meters are used to take electrical readings in an electrical circuit such as voltage, current, resistance, or continuity. These electrical meters are commonly referred to as voltmeters, multi-meters or continuity meters, depending upon their intended use.
Electrical meters typically include a small hand-held box that houses electrical measurement circuitry. Two lead wires of approximately three feet in length normally extend from the box with heads attached to the ends of the lead wires. The heads are designed for contact with an electrical circuit, thereby allowing the user to take a circuit measurement at the contact point. The leads join the heads to the electrical measurement circuitry within the box. A display is also provided on the box. The display is connected to the electrical measurement circuitry and operable to show the results of measurements taken with the electrical meter.
Electricians typically keep a number of commonly used tools on their person. However, the common electrical meter is not one of these tools because the lead wires that dangle from the meter are awkward to handle and can get in the way of the electrician's work. Unfortunately, if an electrician does not have an electrical meter on his or her person, the electrician is more likely to chance working on an electrical circuit without first testing whether it is hot, as going to get the electrical meter before working on a circuit is viewed as an inconvenience.
Most electricians store their electrical meters in a toolbox with other equipment and tools for use in the field. These toolboxes contain numerous tools arranged in no particular order in the box. When an electrical meter is deposited in a toolbox, the lead wires are exposed to the other tools in the box. In particular, as the toolbox is moved from place to place, the tools inside the box shift within the box. These shifting tools may cut, nick, or otherwise damage the exposed lead wires on the electrical meter. Damaged lead wires may render the electrical meter inoperable. Furthermore, if the insulation around the lead wires is cut and the conductors of the lead wires are actually exposed, the lead wires could injure the user of the electrical meter when a measurement is taken using the meter.
An additional problem with loose lead wires on an electrical meter is that the loose lead wires may become entangled when placed in a toolbox. In particular, movement of the tools within the toolbox may cause the wires to become entangled with each other or with other tools within the box. Lead wire entanglement is problematic, as time is required to untangle the wires before the meter may be used for measurement.
Yet another problem with the lead wires on typical electrical meters is that they can become electrically disconnected from the electrical measurement circuitry within the meter without the user knowing it. In particular, the lead wires are typically connected to the meter housing using a plug. This plug can become dislodged in such a manner that it is not physically removed from the meter housing, but the electrical connections are broken. When this occurs, the user of the meter may obtain a false zero reading. Of course, this is problematic not only because of misleading data, but also for safety reasons, as this lead the user into mistakenly believing that a particular wire is dead when indeed it is hot.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an electrical meter that may be conveniently retained upon the user without concern for dangling lead wires. It would also be desirable to provide an electrical meter that prevents damage to the lead wires regardless of whether the meter is stored in a toolbox or held elsewhere by the user. In addition, it would also be desirable to provide an electrical meter that prevents entanglement of the lead wires when the meter is not in use. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide an electrical meter having lead wires that are not easily disconnected from the electrical measurement circuitry in the meter.